Heritage Valley to Give Cameo of Caring Awards

The will recognize two of its own Saturday at the 13th annual Cameos of Caring Awards Gala in Pittsburgh.

The 2011 award recipients are Roslyn Arndt, a registered nurse for 35 years and currently full time in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) at , and Patty Barilaro, a registered nurse for 19 years currently full-time with the Adult Medical Surgical Oncology Unit at Heritage Valley Beaver.

Arndt and Barilaro will be honored with the Cameos of Caring Award at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The award honors exceptional bedside nurses who work in acute care hospitals. Recipients must demonstrate a commitment to consistent, evidenced-based clinical decision-making and excellence in nursing care; serve as an effective advocate for patients and their families; encourage and motivate others, and be recognized as a role model for the profession of nursing; practice nursing involving direct patient care; and be a licensed RN and be a direct employee of the hospital.

Arndt is a 1976 graduate of Clemson University in Clemson, SC, where she graduated with honors. She resides with her family in McKees Rocks and is a member of Pennsylvania Association of Post Anesthesia Nurses (PAPAN) and the American Society of Peri-Anesthesia Nurses (ASPAN).

Barilaro is a 1992 graduate of Community College of Beaver County and resides with her family in Monaca. She frequently shares her vast knowledge by precepting students and new nurses and volunteering to serve as a preceptor for Kent State students completing their leadership internship. She was also instrumental in developing the chemotherapy skills lab on her unit, and serves as an instructor to teach new chemo nurses assessment skills, documentation and chemotherapy administration, and helps them to understand the effects of chemo.